Amuneke guides Tanzania to first AFCON qualification in 39 years

Former Super Eagles assistant coach Emmanuel Amuneke made history with Tanzania on Sunday by guiding the Taifa Stars to their first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification in 39 years.

Our correspondent reports that Tanzania defeated the Cranes of Uganda 3-0 at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

It was the Cranes’ their first defeat of the qualifying campaign, with their clean sheet flushed down the drain in the process.

Goals from Simon Msuwa, Erasto Nyoni and a sublime header from Aggrey Morris secured Tanzania’s berth at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt after putting up an inspiring performance.

Amuneke’s charges finished second in Group L with eight points, five behind leaders Uganda who have already qualified for Africa’s biggest football showpiece event.

The other Group L fixture between Cape Verde and Lesotho ended in a goalless draw, as they finished on six points and five points.

It meant they occupy the third and fourth positions in the group.

Both Uganda and Tanzania join hosts Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, Mali, Algeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Cote d’ Ivoire and Angola as some of the qualifiers.

The rest are Tunisia, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Burundi, Benin, South Africa, Kenya, DR Congo, Guinea, Mauritania and Namibia.

The draw for the biennial men’s football championship of Africa will take place on April 12 at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo.

The 24 qualified teams from the 12 groups will be seeded into four pots based on the CAF National Team Rankings, with the teams drawn into six groups of four teams.

The 2019 AFCON will be held from June 21 to July 19.

Group L Final Table
Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Uganda 6 4 1 1 7 3 +4 13
Tanzania 6 2 2 2 6 5 +1 8
Cape Verde 6 1 3 2 3 7 -4 6
Lesotho 6 1 2 3 4 5 -1 5